Muni Run Club makes San Francisco transit part of the journey 

September is Transit Month in the Bay Area, but for the Muni Run Club, celebrating San Francisco’s public transportation system is a weekly ritual. 

Established in April 2025, the running group’s members explore the city by foot and transit, taking a different transit-themed route starting at 9 a.m. every Sunday morning.  

“I’m appreciative of our runners and also the transit lovers in the city. I think only in San Francisco can you have a transit-themed run club,” says Akash Borde, the group’s founder, joking that he’s the CEO — a playful nod to San Francisco’s tech culture. 

Borde, who lives in Portola, came up with the idea for the club spending time with friends in San Francisco, whether running or hiking. It was about wanting to see more of the city.  

“One friend and I would hang out on long runs and explore the city together, and I suggested to him, ‘What if we ran the bus route one day? That way we can explore a new part …’” says Borde. 

MRC had humble beginnings, when Borde and a few others showed up to race a Muni bus as it made its way along its route. But interest in Borde’s vision was there — and it grew. 

The Muni Run Club today has more than 1,000 members on Strava and over 1,000 Instagram followers. Borde says nearly every run brings a few new faces, with a core group of about 20 regulars. That’s a significant increase from a year ago when runs consisted of 3-5 people. He credited the club’s online presence with helping attract runners. 

George Padeigis, one of Borde’s friends, has become more involved in running since joining the club. He says, “Before this, I was living on the peninsula, and running wasn’t really on my radar at all. I love how the routes take me to corners of the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise explored.” 

Padeigis says he appreciates the concept of no one being left behind because runners can tap a Clipper card onto a bus along a route. 

His participation in the club has prompted his supporting transit-themed ballot measures: Proposition H, the “Stronger Muni for All” measure, and Measure RTM, the regional transit measure. 

Padeigis, currently preparing for his first marathon, the New York City Marathon on Nov. 1, is using Muni Run Club runs in his training. 

For Transit Month 2026, MRC embarked on its second Strava art run. In the events, runners on certain routes create a message or illustration that appears on Strava app users’ maps once their runs are completed.  

On Sept. 13, the group ran an approximately 12-mile route around Golden Gate Park that veered into the Richmond; runners traversed the area’s numbered avenues to create “M-U-N-I.” Post-run, the letters were visible on most everyone’s Strava “activity post” maps and the route itself was the shape of a Muni bus. Some runners even pivoted to create additional circles resembling bus wheels. 

Last year, the group’s inaugural Strava run mapped a 10-mile route shaped like the iconic Muni “worm” logo. Borde’s online post attracted the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency which reposted it, then partnered with MRC.  

“That was a big moment for us,” says Borde. 

An SFMTA post read: “The Muni Run Club brought the worm to life on Strava and now it’s your turn to run (or walk) it during Transit Month! … Take it on solo or with friends anytime this month and when the miles are done, Muni’s there to take you home.” 

The route, publicly available on Strava, had two choices: 10 miles for the full worm or three miles for the M. The idea was to complete it in September to celebrate Transit Month. 

SFMTA representative Michael Roccaforte said, “… It takes real dedication to run the distance of a Muni Metro line or up the steep hills of our bus routes. People are engaging with Muni in so many new and creative ways. We definitely notice it and Transit Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate with this community of riders.” 

Frank Chan, who attended both Strava art runs and helped with a physical map on the second one, said, “It’s good when you have something like this to have someone else kind of gut check each other on the turns. It’s one of these things where it’s all about accuracy — speed doesn’t matter.” 

Chan, a regular at the MRC runs, doesn’t RSVP to the Sunday runs on Strava but says if he wakes up in time for one, he’s in. 

“I really like the transit nerdery,” Chan says. “People advocate for transit — and it’s absolutely needed.” 

Rebecca Medrano has been an MRC regular since her first run in December 2025. She says, “I really like how Muni Run Club does different routes in different neighborhoods every week, so you get to explore different parts of the city that you maybe haven’t seen before.” 

Medrano, a San Francisco Unified School District substitute teacher who lives in the Outer Sunset, walked to the start of the Sept. 13 “Muni” art run, which met at Lincoln Way and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; she walked home after it. On Sept. 20, when the group ran the N Judah route, Medrano, also training for the NYC Marathon, started early at one end before the 9 a.m. meet time, then ran to the other end to join runners in reverse toward Sunset Dunes for a total run of 20 miles. 

Medrano says she’s found the perfect run club: “They’re the friendliest, most welcoming group I’ve ever met, and running the bus routes helps me feel more connected to the city of San Francisco. …”  

In its inaugural year, the Muni Run Club ran all Muni bus routes sequentially, starting with 1. The runs, which included sightseeing, photo ops and meeting Muni drivers, culminated in a special event spearheaded by MRC member Taylor Lee: a 91 Owl almost-marathon. 

More than 30 people showed up.  

“It was the capstone — the final rally,” says Lee. 

The 91 3rd Street/19th Avenue Owl, which runs from midnight to 5 a.m., covers approximately 25 miles — just 1.2 miles short of an official marathon. 

“I have to give credit to Taylor who organized the whole thing and had the logistics figured out, including how to hydrate people at 3 a.m. It was a very challenging thing to pull off, and it was a big success,” says Borde, adding, “I think it showed an appetite for big silly events.” 

With November elections in mind, Borde is planning an event tentatively titled “The Sunset Dunes Straw Poll” at Sunset Dunes, the park alongside Ocean Beach between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard, the site of the former Upper Great Highway. Slated for 6 p.m. to sunset on Oct. 9, it ties to ballot measure Proposition G,  which would reopen the Great Highway to vehicle traffic Monday through Friday, remaining car-free on weekends and holidays. 

At the event, runners will pick a side — Yes or No on Prop G — and run on their designated side of the road at Sunset Dunes for 40 minutes. One mile equals one vote; the side that racks up the most miles wins. 

Before that, everyone is welcome to the group’s final Transit Month 2026 run on Sunday in the East Bay. About 6.2 miles one way, the route follows the AC Transit 51B line, starting at 9 a.m. at the Rockridge BART station in Oakland, with runners making their way toward the Berkeley Marina out to Seawall Drive.  

Muni Run Club, Borde says, is all about the community it has built — the many runners, transit enthusiasts and urban explorers that have become a part of it. He hopes to continue to see the club grow, with more “big silly events” on the way. 

To join Muni Run Club on Strava, go to https://www.strava.com/clubs/munirunclub.